Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/16/23
Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! What did you do this weekend? As always, I worked on Saturday, but after that, I got to go to a birthday dinner for a friend. On Sunday, my wife and I built some Lego sets. If it’s been a while since you played with Legos, I highly recommend it.
You can tell that we’re getting closer to the start of the season as nearly every day provides more and more news, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Finish First Week of Preseason
Things are ramping up at Osceola Heritage Park as the first week of Orlando’s preseason is in the books. There are new faces like Martin Ojeda, and recent draftees Shakur Mohammed and Duncan McGuire. Óscar Pareja and his staff are evaluating the new players and checking in with the returnees. It’s an exciting time, with preseason matches just around the corner. Check out some of the best pictures from the first week of training.
Predicting Orlando City’s 2023 Primary Kit
Orlando City’s 2017 home kit is one of my favorite kits of all time. The gold stripes on the shoulder absolutely pop. According to Footy Headlines, the 2023 kit from Adidas will likely feature plenty of gold as well. Jonah Henderson created a mock up based off the picture of Facundo Torres at MLS Media Day and I personally like it. Orlando will reveal its jersey on Feb. 18 at Exploria Stadium.
Prediction mockup of the new @OrlandoCitySC 23/24 primary kit. Based on their social media graphics & the leak from MLS Media Day pic.twitter.com/AmQitCfEJk
— Jonah Henderson (@JonahNHenderson) January 15, 2023
Meggie Dougherty Howard Bids Farewell to Orlando
Midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard took to Twitter to say goodbye to Orlando after signing with San Diego Wave FC. The 27-year-old thanked supporters, staff, and teammates for her past two seasons with the Pride. She became a free agent following the 2022 season and will now reunite with former Pride players Alex Morgan and Taylor Kornieck in San Diego.
— meggie (@MeggieDH) January 15, 2023
USWNT Prepares for Friendlies with the Ferns
Tomorrow night, the USWNT will play the first of two friendlies this week against New Zealand. The second match will be on Friday, with both matches kicking off at 10 p.m. The team is coming off losses in three of its last four matches, and there are very few opportunities for the squad to get things going in the right direction before the Women’s World Cup this summer. These friendlies have the added benefit of taking place in one of the countries where the World Cup will be held, and against one of the hosts. New Zealand didn’t have a great 2022, and will be looking to find some momentum itself before the tournament.
Free Kicks
- We here at The Mane Land extend our congratulations to Orlando goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana on their marriage.
A very special congratulations to Mason and Tatiana on getting married this weekend 💜
(📸: m_staj/IG) pic.twitter.com/V9kvqzuLcB
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) January 15, 2023
- The Orlando Pride selected Kristen Scott with the 41st overall pick in the NWSL Draft. Enjoy how her friends and family reacted to the news.
The moment Kristen found out she’s staying home! #ChargeOn | @ORLPride pic.twitter.com/HbJ6c51eEU
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) January 14, 2023
- In case you missed West Bromwich Albion’s 3-2 win over Luton Town, here is Daryl Dike’s latest goal for the Baggies.
CAN'T KNOCK THE HUSTLE Daryl Dike with the goal off fellow Eagle Ethan Horvath, who slams a clearance directly off the 22-year-old striker from Edmond, OK 🇺🇸🏴🦅 Now 7 league wins in 8 for Dike and the Baggies.pic.twitter.com/7QCjMMtPrQ
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) January 14, 2023
- Canadian Midfielder Ilias Iliadis has signed a two-year contract with CF Montreal, with two additional option years as well.
- Cristian Arango is staying at LAFC, at least for now. Saudi club Al-Ahli’s $3 million offer was reportedly rejected.
Sources: LAFC have rejected a bid from Saudi club Al-Ahli for star forward Chicho Arango.
Al-Ahli's bid was around $3m. LAFC asking for more than $6.5m. We'll see if Al-Ahli comes back with another bid. Arango wants a new contract.
Arango, 27, has 30g/7a in 3,753 mins with LAFC pic.twitter.com/5hmttTkG37
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 14, 2023
- Defender Santiago Arias is training with FC Cincinnati, but talks are reportedly ongoing.
Colombian defender Santiago Arias is training with FC Cincinnati in preseason. As Felipe said, talks between FCC & Arias ongoing, not done (yet).
Arias, 31, is out of contract after his deal with Atletico Madrid expired. 54 caps with Colombia. Starred for PSV before Atleti move. https://t.co/VI0IbMhE5Z pic.twitter.com/gSDMZhedod
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 14, 2023
- Discussions reportedly continue between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona regarding forward Memphis Depay.
New round of talks scheduled between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid for Memphis Depay. No doubts on the player side as Memphis wants the move and he's set to leave Barça in January, as reported yesterday 🔵🔴 #FCB
Atléti want to anticipate English clubs on Memphis deal. pic.twitter.com/uP40Woa1AC
— Fabrizio Romano بالعربي (@FbRomanio) January 15, 2023
- Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had another bad day, giving up an own goal against Arsenal in a 2-0 loss.
Hugo Lloris somehow puts it in his own net. 🙈
📺: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #TOTARS pic.twitter.com/aJ3XVZ2m28
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 15, 2023
That will do it for today. I’m curious what everyone thinks of the potential new kit. Let me know in the comments.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/21/24
Two Lions recognized, Pride player up for weekly honors, United States releases training camp roster, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a damn good weekend for Orlando’s teams, as Orlando City beat San Jose 1-0, and the Orlando Pride took down the Seattle Reign 3-2, which meant that the two teams picked up all six points on offer, and out on the west coast, no less! We’ve got plenty of news to talk over today, so let’s jump straight into the links.
Lions Included in Team of the Matchday
A pair of Lions have been rewarded for their efforts in Saturday’s win with a place in the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Wilder Cartagena was given a spot in the starting XI as a center back after yet another commanding performance in a three-man back line for Orlando City. The Peruvian was superb and finished with five tackles, four clearances, and two interceptions, as OCSC kept a second clean sheet in a row. Jack Lynn was given a spot on the bench, after grabbing a late winner in an extended substitute appearance. Lynn entered the fray for an injured Duncan McGuire in the 16th minute, and was the difference maker as he latched onto a scuffed Martin Ojeda shot to win the game for Orlando in the 89th minute.
Pride Player up for Weekly Honors
Emily Sams’ strike against the Seattle Reign has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. On a night that had plenty of goals, Sams opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The ball found its way to her at the top of the box, and the defender didn’t even bother taking a touch as she hit the ball first time and curled it past the despairing dive of Laurel Ivory. Sams isn’t exactly a prolific goal scorer, so that makes the sweetly hit goal that much better. Be sure you go and drop a vote for her to win!
United States Releases Pre-Copa Roster
The United States Men’s National Team has announced its 27-player roster that will take part in a pre-Copa America training camp. The final tournament roster needs to have at least 23 players and a maximum of 26, so Gregg Berhalter won’t need to make a ton of cuts if he doesn’t want to. The roster features Josh Sargent making his return to a training camp for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, as well as Cameron-Carter Vickers, Luca de la Torre, and Sean Johnson making their first appearances in 2024. LAFC youngster Timmy Tillman is the least experienced player in the mix with just one appearance to his name, while Christian Pulisic’s 66 appearances leads the team. The USMNT will play Colombia and Brazil in tune-up friendlies on June 8 and June 12, with the latter match taking place in Orlando at Camping World Stadium.
MLS Stock Watch
With another MLS matchday in the close, we can reflect on which teams are on the rise, and which ones seem to be headed in the wrong direction. FC Cincinnati has now won six straight games, and is hot on Inter Miami’s heels at the top of the Eastern Conference table. New York City FC has now won three in a row after beating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in the Hudson River Derby, a result which saw the Pigeons leapfrog NYRB into third place in the East. At the other end of things, the Chicago Fire have lost four straight and only scored two goals in their last seven matches, while CF Montreal got hammered 5-1 by Toronto FC and has matched Chicago with a fourth-straight loss.
European Transfer Rumor Roundup
Several European club seasons may have ended, but that just means that the off-season transfer rumor mill is starting to kick into gear. Premier League champion Manchester City has reportedly agreed to personal terms with West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, but is still negotiating with the Hammers about a sale price. Runners-up Arsenal wants to bolster its team to get over the line and win the title next year and is said to have Alexander Isak, Brian Brobbey, and Viktor Gyokeres on a short list of strikers, although the Gunners expect to face competition from Chelsea for Gyokeres. Despite chatter concerning a possible move away during the summer, Mohamed Salah has said he will “fight like hell” to win trophies with Liverpool next season. Finally, Bayern Munich is said to have had internal talks about appointing Vincent Kompany as the club’s next manager, and the board has even reached out to the Belgian directly to discuss his current situation.
Free Kicks
- The Orlando Pride rose one spot to first in CBSSports.com’s NWSL power rankings, while ESPN.com rather inexplicably kept them at third.
- Orlando City dropped a spot to 19th in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings, despite taking seven points from the team’s last three games.
- Inter Miami defender Nicolas Freire will miss the rest of this season after tearing his ACL in Saturday’s game against D.C. United.
- France’s sports minister has called for Monaco to be sanctioned after one of its players taped over an LGBTQ message of support on the team’s jersey over the weekend.
- Tottenham boarded a flight mere hours after the team’s Premier League finale to travel to Australia for a summer friendly against Newcastle United.
That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/20/24
Lions and Pride win, MLS weekend recap, Manchester City wins Premier League title, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It was another good weekend for our teams, as Orlando City and the Pride both won their respective matches. I’ve been busy covering high school playoff action with soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and softball. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Pull Out Late Win on the Road
Orlando City pulled out a late 1-0 win on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on Saturday. Jack Lynn came off the bench and scored the lone goal in this match for Orlando to grab the three points. Duncan McGuire started the match but had to be substituted out early in the first half due to injury and was replaced by Lynn. The Lions are on a three-match unbeaten streak after a scoreless draw at home against Inter Miami on Wednesday. Orlando City moves up to 10th in the Eastern Conference with 16 points. The Lions return to action on Saturday to face the Columbus Crew at Inter&Co Stadium.
Orlando Pride Win Against Seattle Reign FC
The Orlando Pride won their seventh straight match after a 3-2 win against the Seattle Reign at Lumen Field on Sunday. There were plenty of goals in this one, with Barbra Banda lifting the Pride to their first ever win in Washington against the Reign. Orlando remains undefeated in league play after 10 matches and the Pride sit atop the NWSL table with 24 points. The Pride return home for a Friday night matchup against the Portland Thorns at Inter&Co Stadium.
MLS Weekend Recap
It was another busy weekend in MLS, with four rivalry matches taking place. Let’s start with the Hudson River Derby, as New York City FC edged past the New York Red Bulls 2-1. Real Salt Lake got a thrilling 5-3 win against the Colorado Rapids in the Rocky Mountain Cup. In Canada, Toronto FC cruised past CF Montreal with a 5-1 victory. The Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas battled to a 1-1 draw down in Texas. FC Cincinnati defeated St. Louis City SC 3-1, while the Columbus Crew beat the Chicago Fire 3-1 as well.
The Philadelphia Union shut out the New England Revolution 3-0 to snap its six-match winless streak. Austin FC won 3-2 over Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United handed the Portland Timbers a 2-1 defeat, and Inter Miami got a late goal from Leonardo Campana for a 1-0 win over D.C. United.
Manchester City Wins English Premier League
Manchester City defeated West Ham 3-1 to win a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday with 91 points on the final day of the season. Phil Foden scored twice in this match as Manchester City became the first club to win four straight Premier League trophies. Arsenal defeated Everton 2-1 but ended up short of the title, finishing second with 89 points. Liverpool won in Jurgen Klopp’s final match as manager, beating Wolves 2-0 to finish third. Aston Villa finished fourth despite a 5-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Tottenham finished fifth, and Chelsea finished sixth in the table. Luton Town lost 4-2 at home to Fulham to finish 18th, officially joining Burnley and Sheffield United in being relegated to the EFL Championship next season.
Free Kicks
- Former Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Manchester United, with an option for another year. Manchester United won its first major trophy earlier this month, winning the Women’s FA Cup.
- Former USMNT player Jonathan Bornstein has agreed to play for NPSL side Tallahassee SC in their summer season. He made his debut on Saturday as the Battle Lions won their opener 2-0 against the Miami Dutch Lions FC.
- According to Tom Bogert, new MLS expansion side San Diego FC is reportedly closer to sealing a move to sign Chucky Lozano over from PSV Eindhoven.
- Charlotte FC has reportedly been negotiating to sign Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus as his contract is set to expire this summer.
- Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi announced he will leave the club after its Premier League season ended in a 2-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
- Bayer Leverkusen completed its Bundesliga season unbeaten with a 2-1 win over FC Augsburg. The club also made history as the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/17/24
MLSPA releases player salaries, Duncan McGuire discusses move to Blackburn, Orlando Pride prepare for the Seattle Reign, and more.
Happy Friday! The weekend is nearly here, with plenty of soccer both here in the domestic leagues and abroad. I have a pretty packed weekend but am looking forward to watching Orlando City and the Orlando Pride in action. It should be a nice next few days, so let’s get it started with today’s links!
MLSPA Releases Player Salaries
The Major League Soccer Players Association unveiled the base salary and guaranteed compensation information for every player under contract with the league as of April 25 — except Wilder Cartagena, apparently. Luis Muriel is the highest-paid Orlando City player, and his $4.3 million in guaranteed compensation is the 12th most in the league, while his base salary is just over $2.83. As for other Orlando newcomers, Nico Lodeiro’s compensation is $800,000 and David Brekalo’s is $683,000.
Lionel Messi predictably tops the list of all players with $20.4 million guaranteed for playing with Inter Miami. To put that number into perspective, it’s more than the compensation of every team in the league except his own team (Miami), Toronto FC, Nashville SC, and the Chicago Fire. Orlando City is 22nd in the league in compensation, clocking in at $15.07 million.
Duncan McGuire Weighs In on Moving to Blackburn
Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire had a hurricane of an off-season due to a transfer saga that nearly saw him join Blackburn Rovers in England. An administration error by Blackburn prevented the move from going through, and McGuire ultimately returned to Orlando. In the time since, there have been reports that Orlando offered him a new contract and that Blackburn still wants him to join in the summer. McGuire spoke about whether he is still interested in a move to Blackburn after the difficult experience.
“It’s tough to say,” McGuire told GOAL.”That was a pretty bad mistake, a pretty bad mistake by them. I’d be open to maybe having a conversation but it would have to be a lot to get me to go back there. On the plane ride back, I just felt like my tail was between my legs. I asked my agent how often this happens and he was like ‘This doesn’t happen’.
“I didn’t burn bridges with my teammates or have it be like ‘Oh you wanted to leave and now you’re back’. When I got back, it was like I never left.”
Orlando Pride Prepare for the Seattle Reign
The Orlando Pride will take their six-game win streak on the road for a match against the Seattle Reign Sunday night. The Reign are coming off of a 4-0 loss to the Portland Thorns in their sixth defeat of the season, but Pride Head Coach Seb Hines discussed how the Reign played better in that match than the score suggests. The Pride have also never won in Washington, and the turf and atmosphere of Lumen Field could give Orlando some trouble after a long trip. Injuries, particularly to the midfield, have made things difficult for the Pride, but midfielder Morgan Gautrat detailed how the team’s chemistry has helped them get results despite the adversity.
Nashville SC Fires Gary Smith
Nashville SC has parted ways with Gary Smith, who had been the club’s only head coach while in MLS. Smith joined Nashville back in 2018, coaching the team for two seasons in the USL Championship before. With a defensive style, Smith led the team to MLS playoff appearances in all four years but couldn’t put together a deep run. Nashville is currently 10th in the Eastern Conference and Rumba Munthali will serve as the club’s interim head coach while the club searches for a new permanent coach.
Charlotte FC Transfers Enzo Copetti Out
Another Designated Player is leaving Charlotte FC, as the club transferred Enzo Copetti to Rosario Central in Argentina’s top flight. The forward recorded eight goals and three assists across all competitions while with Charlotte, and has played less than 500 minutes this season. Copetti is the latest Designated Player transferred out since Dean Smith took over as Charlotte’s head coach, with Kamil Jozwiak sent to Granada and Karol Swiderski loaned to Hellas Verona. Despite the turnover, Charlotte sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and could make some noise this season if it brings in the right players in the summer transfer window.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Miguel Gallardo spoke with the folks over at The Blazing Musket about the New England Revolution and the art of goalkeeping.
- Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Derek Sanderson, who played for many teams across many leagues back in the 1980s, including the American Soccer League’s Orlando Lions.
- Hugo Lloris, Walker Zimmerman, and Sebastian Driussi were a few of the notable names on the MLS Team of the Matchday for Wednesday’s matches. No Orlando City or Inter Miami players made the cut after a scoreless draw in the City Beautiful.
- Detroit City FC acquired land to build a soccer-specific stadium, with plans for it to open by the club’s 2027 season.
- Josh Sargent and Norwich City’s bid for promotion came to an end after a 4-0 loss to Leeds United.
- It didn’t take long for American midfielder Johnny Cardoso to settle in with Real Betis, and it will be interesting to see where he fits in the United States Men’s National Team’s plans this summer.
- CONMEBOL confirmed that rosters for the upcoming Copa America have been increased from 23 players to 26.
- Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will miss out on the final game of the Premier League season this Sunday and the FA Cup final on May 25 due to an eye injury.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
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